Reset Life – Chapter 66

Chapter 66: Re.Extra: The King’s Death (2)

Kwaaaang-!

A tremendous light followed by an explosion was heard from one side of the Royal Palace. My heart ached as I had to destroy the house where I lived. An orange pillar and a roaring sound. With this, the detached palace would have disappeared in an instant.

The 1st Squad is doing well. Even if this task is at the cost of their lives.

I promise. I will never forget your sacrifice.

Suppressing my tears, I opened the door to the secret passage. The secret shelter, a gift from the continent’s only Archmage to the Azot Royal Family, could only be opened by royalty.

The wall, which appeared to be nothing, silently slid away, creating a passage.

“Enter.”

With a simple gesture, the members of the 2nd Squad of the rescue team who came with me silently entered and secured the passage. The passage was quite dusty, as if it had not been maintained for a long time.

After checking left and right before entering, I entered last and closed the passage.

“Anything unusual?”

“Nothing.”

“Proceed according to the blueprint.”

“Yes.”

I had the blueprint of the secret passage memorized by them for this day. Originally, it was a secret passage exclusively for the royal family that should not have been disclosed, but it was a necessary measure for an efficient operation.

We passed through several rooms and corridors. Finally, I opened the door at the end of the secret passage and went down the stairs.

The murmuring sounds grew closer. My steps quickened, and the sounds grew louder.

They’re alive.

There are still people alive!

Forgetting that this was a part of the Royal Palace occupied by the enemy, my heart swelled with joy.

“Is everyone alright!”

“Huh? Your Highness……?”

“Your Highness!”

“Your Highness has…… Your Highness has returned-!”

As the people in the passage shouted, doors opened here and there. And those who had been underground for a long time, pale and gaunt, revealed themselves. Doubt appeared on their faces, then quickly turned to joy, to elation.

“Your Highness, I believed you would come! I, Levlin, believed Your Highness would return!”

Levlin Myard, the Vice-Commander of the Royal Knights, pushed through the crowd, knelt on one knee, and saluted. Tears, which had flowed from his eyes, soaked into the bushy beard around his mouth.

“Your Highness!”

“The King has returned!”

“Your Majesty!”

People simultaneously knelt or bowed to greet me.

Although their faces were haggard and filled with fatigue, they showed unwavering loyalty to me…… the King who had escaped the capital alone……

“Everyone…… I’ve kept you waiting for a long time. I’m sorry……”

“Not at all! Just Your Highness’s return fills my heart with joy! Long live Greg IV!”

Long live Greg IV!

Following Levlin’s lead, everyone chanted. Their joy and elation were evident, needing no concealment.

My nose tingled. These people had waited so long for me…… the King who had lost his capital, his throne…… Guilt washes over me at the thought that I couldn’t reclaim the capital and return.

I took Levlin’s hand and helped him up. The last time I saw him, his face was smooth and brimming with youth, but now, seeing the knight’s emaciated figure, my heart ached as if pierced by a knife.

“Sir Levlin, is the former King……?”

“Yes. He is well! The Queen is also in good health. And she has given birth to a prince.”

“Is that so…… Haha……”

Tears welled up in my eyes.

When the capital fell, my wife was pregnant. If only it had been five months later, I could have witnessed the birth…… It was heartbreaking. I felt sorry for Jirzannain, who had to give birth without her husband by her side.

“Former King, Your Highness has returned!”

“Your Majesty the Queen, Your Highness has……”

As people moved aside, shuffling on their knees, my father, mother, and my wife walked towards me.

Their gait, despite having been underground for so long, did not lose its dignity. However, why were my father and mother’s hands so thin…… Why were they so bony……!

“Father…… Mother……”

“Your Highness, I believed you would return.”

“You’ve come back. You’ve come back. Your Highness.”

On the faces of my father and mother, who spoke formally out of respect for the King, there was only joy. Only pride for their son.

Father…… Mother……

“Please forgive your son who has returned so late! Sob!”

I knelt before them, finally breaking down and letting my tears flow freely. Although I had also suffered, I had left my parents in a place where sunlight barely reached for months.

I was ashamed.

“Rise, Your Highness. I am proud to call you my son.”

“Just your return brings us immeasurable joy. Come here. You must meet your son. Your Majesty the Queen, come here.”

My mother took my hand and helped me up. She pretended to be composed, with a joyful face, but…… seeing her wrinkled and bony hands, my heart ached again.

In the past, those hands were warmer than the sun and gentler than a shepherd’s touch as they stroked my head. As a child, I disliked it, yet secretly wished for more of those caresses.

“Now, go.”

My father placed his hand on my shoulder. Those hands, once calloused from wielding the King’s sword with strength, were now the hands of an old man with age spots. My heart ached at the sight of my parents’ frail appearance.

But even that sight…… was truly comforting.

“Yes. Yes……”

I wiped my tears with the back of my hand and rose from my position. And then I saw the most beautiful woman in the world, holding my child in her arms.

“Your Highness……”

“My Queen……”

My Jirzannain. My beloved Anna.

“That child is……”

I saw my son. The young child, blankly sucking on his fingers, had the same eyes I saw in the mirror countless times a day. My goodness…… even there, my eyes existed.

“Can I hold him?”

“Of course. Eimantine, this is your father.”

“Fath-ther……?”

She handed me the child, and I held the most precious treasure in the world. The child, despite being held by a stranger for the first time, stared at me with wide eyes and soon embraced my neck.

“Da-da……”

“Yes…… Yes……! I’m your father…… Eimantine……!”

Emotion surged through me like a tidal wave. I never expected to feel such joy and emotion in the Royal Palace, which I had entered prepared for death. I rubbed my cheek against my son’s face and then extended my left arm, saying,

“Come here, my Queen. My arms still feel empty.”

“Your Highness!”

She, who had been standing a step away, watching me and Eimantine, finally burst into tears and embraced me.

“Your Highness, I knew you would come! Your Highness!”

“Yes…… I’ve come. I’ve come!”

Before I knew it, I was holding her frail body in my arms.

My father and mother, my wife, and my son.

I…… had been reunited with my family.

That alone brought me happiness.

And this was my last happiness.

When I told them that I had not come to reclaim the capital but to rescue them, people looked somewhat disappointed. However, they seemed content with the fact that I had come for them, and they packed their belongings as lightly as possible.

“Your Highness, will this be alright?”

“It will be fine. I have been preparing for this day for the past two months.”

I smiled to reassure my father. And it was a genuine smile, one I could offer because I truly felt reassured.

Although we had succumbed to the Imperial Army’s force, not many had surrendered their hearts. Influential figures in Ast and a few secret individuals had agreed to fully assist our escape.

After the restoration, I would have to reward them with titles or rewards, but I wouldn’t regret it in the slightest.

Today’s events held great significance.

It was to show the people that although the capital and the Royal Palace had been captured, the Royal Family had not. It was also to alleviate the anxiety that weighed on my heart and to prevent the King’s parents, wife, and children from being taken hostage.

“What is the situation outside?”

“Yes. The commotion caused by the 1st Squad is still having a significant impact. There are no problems.”

“Good. Have them move in groups of ten, slowly.”

“Yes.”

Unlike when we entered, the way out was a secret passage leading to the cemetery. It was a path that ordinary people could operate, and the cemetery at midnight was sparsely populated, with the surrounding park offering many escape routes.

I sent the other members of the Royal Family and attendants who were in the shelter first.

I wanted to be at the forefront to ensure everyone’s safety, but my adjutant strongly insisted that I let him do so due to the final closure of the secret passage and my position as King. He had a point.

Groups of ten departed one after another, and the evacuation continued for about an hour. My father and mother, my wife, and my son would be the last to leave with me.

“All who preceded us have safely seen the moonlight.”

A knight approached, saluted, and reported. Those who had exited through the cemetery were to gather at a designated location.

“Good work. Now we must depart as well. Everyone, be mindful of your footsteps and follow with minimal movement.”

I gestured for the people to proceed. High-ranking ministers and a few relatives exited first, followed by my father and mother. Before departing, they both smiled at me. I smiled back.

Now, only my wife and I remained.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

I took my wife’s hand and stepped into the passage.

My son had fallen asleep in his mother’s arms, breathing softly. Seeing that sight, I smiled.

This child would surely grow up to be great.

I would become a father who would leave him a complete kingdom.

The clear moonlight shone serenely on the cemetery.

The tombstones and sarcophagi, bathed in moonlight, created their own forest with the color of midwinter ice.

If someone saw people crawling out from between them, they might think a cemetery ball was being held.

The moon was a half-moon. It was neither too dark nor too bright, an ambiguous brightness. Considering the people we were rescuing, we needed some light.

“Quietly and quickly, let’s go.”

Everyone held their breath and moved cautiously, paying attention to every footstep. The tension heightened as we left the cemetery, entered the park, and moved among the trees.

Foosh. Foosh.

No matter how quietly we tried to be, the sounds we made as we walked were strangely clear in the night air. The stillness of the night always amplified small sounds.

Still, it was a relief that the wind was calm tonight. And since we were traversing the middle of the park, there shouldn’t be anyone else around.

Quietly. Quietly.

Out of the woods, the mansion that came into view would have already been prepared to receive us. Comfortable rooms, prepared in secret, and warm drinks to soothe our tired bodies and minds would be waiting.

If it were mead, it would be the perfect arrangement. The sweet and pungent aroma would travel down my throat and spread warmly in my stomach, washing away the fatigue of the day.

My wife gripped my hand tightly. I squeezed her hand back firmly. In the past six weeks, my hands had become rough and calloused, hardly resembling those of royalty. But that would probably reassure her even more.

I could hear the tense and tired breaths of my father and mother ahead of me. The thought that every moment was an act of filial impiety made my throat tighten.

Come on, everyone, let’s go. And let’s turn today’s events into a tale to be told over drinks and laughter.

May historians in the future imagine this scene and sing our praises!

That it was a truly excellent decision!

That it was a truly audacious decision!

Until we reached the designated mansion through the woods, nothing stood in our way.

Truly, nothing.

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